Stealing Heavenly Secrets from Cover the Heavens Chapter 44

Take the Eagle Claw Technique he had just used, for instance—if he had a real golden eagle to observe hunting in action, he might be able to upgrade that technique into something extraordinary.

Of course, that wasn't something he could accomplish overnight.

Afterward, Li Zhi went back through that area and picked up all the Bone Spikes he had thrown out.

Then he retraced his steps and withdrew from the Barren Ancient Forest.

It wasn't that he didn't want to keep crossing the Barren Ancient Forest; rather, he wasn't too satisfied with his own strength.

Killing a few Netherworld Wolves that hadn't yet become demonic beasts had left him covered in blood.

If he ran into stronger ferocious beasts further ahead, wouldn't he end up injured?

Besides, Li Zhi had a nagging feeling that the Blackwater Lake he'd passed earlier was far from ordinary.

That Nine-Horned Five-Eyed Blackwater Buffalo, which could shed its skin to transform, might be connected to that lake's black water.

The flesh after transformation was packed with rich Life Essence.

Li Zhi figured he could try using that lake's black water to temper his own physique.

Right now, his body still had a massive amount of Life Essence settled inside it, not yet fully absorbed by his flesh.

Rushing headlong into the cultivation world might get him captured by some scoundrel and refined into a human pill.

Li Zhi felt that ten thousand jin of divine strength in one arm probably wasn't the limit of his physical body.

The fact that his Bitter Sea could be opened up to the size of a Football Field all at once showed that his physical foundation was already strong enough.

It might even be on par with some cultivators in the Dao Palace Realm.

But to unlock his body's divine strength, simply absorbing Life Essence was far from enough.

He needed special tempering of his flesh, even constant battles with ferocious beasts, to tap into his body's potential.

Walking carefully back along the same path, he encountered few obstacles and soon reached the edge of the forest.

After observing from the shadows for a while and confirming no other cultivators were around, he slipped out of the Barren Ancient Forest.

Then he arrived at the shore of that Blackwater Lake.

After watching the lake for a moment, Li Zhi directly released the Netherworld Wolf King from his Snakeskin Cosmos Pouch.

And he tossed it straight into the lake.

The Wolf King, passing through the Blackwater Lake, immediately let out a pained howl.

But the lake water seemed to have a tremendous pulling force—the more the Wolf King struggled, the faster it sank.

Soon it was completely submerged in the black water.

Just as Li Zhi thought the Wolf King was done for, the lake surface suddenly churned, and the Wolf King, its body a mess of blood and flesh, leaped out and lunged toward the shore.

Li Zhi, who had already opened his Snakeskin Cosmos Pouch and was waiting, instantly swept the Wolf King inside.

Then he checked on the Wolf King's condition.

It looked like a bloody wreck, but Li Zhi sensed a more condensed vitality within its body.

It seemed that once its wounds healed, its bones and muscles would become even stronger.

Since it wasn't a simple death trap, Li Zhi felt relieved.

Then he put the Wolf King out of its misery.

And tossed the Wolf King's flesh into the Primal Dense Forest.

Li Zhi began observing from the shadows to see if the flesh was poisonous.

When he saw that the animals eating the Wolf King's flesh showed no signs of poisoning, he relaxed a bit.

Over the next few days, Li Zhi caught more animals from the forest and ran experiments with the black water's corrosive effects.

He concluded that the more vigorous a beast's blood and qi, the better it could withstand the black water's erosion.

Beasts that couldn't take it turned straight into sludge.

Those that survived all had their blood and qi strengthened to some degree.

A month later, after repeated tests, Li Zhi finally decided to experience the black water's power himself.

He first dipped his left hand into the black water.

A sharp sting hit him, but he didn't see any signs of his skin dissolving, which put him completely at ease.

He immediately channeled his blood and qi power to his left hand, and the sting eased slightly.

After five minutes, when he felt his left hand could handle the black water's erosion, he pulled it out.

Aside from some redness and swelling, there was no bloody mess on his hand.

And Li Zhi sensed that the blood and qi in his left hand seemed a bit more condensed, which brought a hint of joy to his face.

Then he stepped fully into the lake.

At first, he just soaked near the shore, tempering his blood and qi.

Later, he gradually moved toward the center of the lake.

As his ability to withstand the corrosive power of the black water grew stronger, Li Zhi's strength also increased.

Ten months later, relying solely on his physical body, he could swing thirty thousand jin of force with one arm.

Moreover, within his bone marrow, bone blood tinged with silver specks gradually began to form.

At the same time, the silver specks mixed into his vital blood grew more numerous, and the vitality contained within that blood became increasingly abundant.

If Li Zhi hadn't been circulating the "Longevity Locking Body Art" every day to seal his own qi and blood, a wolf-smoke of qi and blood would likely have already appeared above his head as a sign.

During this period, although Li Zhi's Bitter Sea hadn't expanded further, the Life Essence within it had condensed more than twofold.

Li Zhi also finally figured out where the Divine Marks in his Bitter Sea had gone.

The Silver Giant Island and the Immortal Tree that had appeared in Li Zhi's Bitter Sea were formed from the condensation of Divine Marks.

The only difference was that, unlike what was recorded in the Wheel and Sea Scroll of the "Primordial Longevity Art"—where the Cultivator himself had to guide the form of the Divine Marks and forge them into a Divine Tree—

the Immortal Tree in Li Zhi's Bitter Sea seemed naturally formed, without a trace of artificial refinement, and it also had an extra giant island compared to Cultivators who normally practiced the "Primordial Longevity Art."

During this time, every few days, Li Zhi would venture deep into the Barren Ancient Forest to fight with ferocious beasts, honing his combat ability.

Fighting with various kinds of snakes allowed Li Zhi to comprehend a use for Coiling Force.

Fighting with giant bears, fierce tigers, and demon apes deepened his understanding of the Tiger Pounce and allowed him to comprehend a Penetrating Force.

Chasing after sheep and deer made Li Zhi faster and his movement technique more agile.

After nearly a year of hard cultivation, he felt that the Life Essence settled within his body was nearly exhausted.

Recently, he had been eating more and more food.

Yet his growth in strength seemed to have stalled.

One day, after finishing his boxing practice, Li Zhi once again saw a Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird soaring overhead.

Its claws were gripping a Mammoth Giant Elephant weighing tens of thousands of jin.

Such terrifying claw strength made Li Zhi reveal a trace of envy.

Then, Li Zhi glanced at Blackwater Lake, which was almost useless to him now, and chased after the direction the Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird had flown.

Before leaving, he planned to see if he could learn some true Claw Art from that Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird.

Just as Li Zhi was pursuing that Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird, two young Cultivators around twenty years old arrived at a small town on the outskirts of the Barren Ancient Forest.

A man and a woman, both exuding nobility, seemed not to be local Cultivators from Yan State.

The pair were both dressed in Purple Robes, with straight postures and handsome features.

The man had a gentle and refined temperament, while the woman carried a Heroic Spirit between her brows.

When they entered the town, some Cultivators stationed there immediately reported the situation.

The pair paid no attention to the small moves of the local Cultivators.

After they checked into an inn, the heroic-looking woman showed a trace of worry between her brows and said, "Shuwen, are you really going to the Barren Ancient Forbidden Zone?"

"When did I ever say I was going to the Barren Ancient Forbidden Zone?" The man looked surprised at her question.

"If you're not going to the Barren Ancient Forbidden Zone, then why are you here? This time, we finally managed to follow our clan uncle to the Southern Domain for training. Instead of seeking discussions and duels with the Heavenly Prides of the Southern Domain, you insist on separating from everyone and coming here alone." The woman seemed not to understand the man's purpose here.

"Caihong, I think you should go with Jiang Yifei and the others. Following me, you probably won't achieve your training goals." Jiang Shuwen said helplessly.

"Then tell me your purpose here, or I'll stick with you." Jiang Caihong stared at Jiang Shuwen.

Jiang Shuwen said, "Fine, telling you won't hurt. When we were traveling through Wei State earlier, I heard from a Cultivator from Yan State that a Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird had recently appeared in this forest on the edge of the Barren Ancient Forbidden Zone. That's what I came for."

Jiang Caihong exclaimed in surprise, "Shuwen, has your Demon Refining Pot already reached the point where it needs the True Soul of a fierce bird like the Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird?"

Jiang Shuwen said awkwardly, "Don't talk nonsense. If the Demon Race hears that, it'll be trouble. Then the Demon Soldiers under Old Peng King will all come looking for me. My purpose in finding this Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird isn't to extract its True Soul, but to capture it as a mount and bring it back for proper training."

Jiang Caihong chuckled, "Shuwen, so you still haven't forgotten your defeat at the hands of Little Golden-Winged Peng King."